VOL. LXXXIV, NO.6 DEERFIELD ACADEMY, DEERFIELD, MA 01342 November 11, 2009

The Board of Trustees voted intheir October 30 weekend meeting oncampus to begin renovation projectsthis March on the Greer Store andFitness Center.

The Greer Store will become sig-nificantly larger, and the fitness centerwill expand into the area of the oldinternational squash courts on twolevels. The trainers’ room will also beupdated and expanded.

Although the primary construc-tion activity will last from March toOctober 2010, equipment will beordered and regulatory complianceactivities started as early as thisDecember, according to Head ofSchool Margarita Curtis.

As a result, the Greer Store willbe closed to students in May, June,September, and part of October,2010. To compensate, Café Louis inthe Koch Center will have extendedhours.

These projects were initiallyscheduled to begin in the 2008-2009school year but were delayed due tothe recession.

Although the Academy’s endow-ment is back up to $306 million fromits low of $225-260 million in March,

it is still $61 million below its pre-recession $367 million. In response,trustees have made up the differencein donations to ensure that the projectis fully funded, and that the endow-ment is not tapped for this purpose.This is in addition to the substantialcontribution made by the parents ofthe Class of 2008 and Class of 2009.

According to Ms. Curtis, it wasnecessary to push these projects for-ward now for several reasons—bothfinancial and community-based. Ifthe construction had been furtherdelayed, there would have been a highrisk of losing substantial pledges fromthe early benefactors to the project.

The project cost is now down25% from the professionally-deter-mined estimates gathered last April.Half of this benefit stems from favor-able market pricing and the other halffrom Plumbing Supervisor GaryGrybko and Director of FacilitiesChuck Williams’ “value engineering.”Specifically, Mr. Grybko and Mr.Williams have saved money by usingthe hockey rink’s ice-making equip-ment for air conditioning the fitnesscenter.

“Most importantly, though, therenovated facility will foster the senseof community we all value so much,”said Ms. Curtis.

Everything I felt and saw when Ireturned from India came to me inpieces, little realizations that I had toconsciously assemble together to reg-ister a complete picture, one thatseemed so foreign after ten daysaway. The frost on the ground. Thecleanliness of Main Street. Thesilence was overwhelming—it wasalmost too quiet.

What inevitably followed ourreturn were millions of questionsabout our trip. How was India? Wasit so much fun? Did you love it? Inodded “yes” to everything, too jet-lagged, sick, and exhausted to detailthe shock of my experience. Howcould I explain anything when I wasstill trying to process, in my ownmind, what I had seen?

Since our return almost twoweeks ago, classes, homework, sportspractice, and college applicationshave quickly forced me to readjust toDeerfield life. Now that I amremoved from India, I am finally ableto catch my breath.

I am able to reflect on the expe-rience more aptly than I was able tobefore and share those experiences,to the best of my ability, with the

community to which I returned.Now I am able to remember

things with a certain retrospectiveclarity. This is what I remember: myeyes burn and my ears are ringing.The swollen buses and the scores oftheir screeching horns compete withthose of taxis racing between thebraying moans of pregnant, hairlessdogs and the creaks of rusty bicycles.I lick the dirt off of my lips, lettingmy tongue taste the terracotta air. Itis dry and gritty and smeared, like oldnewspapers saturated with the greaseof fried na’an. Crushed plastic bottlesdrip with the condensation of brownwater, piled high in a garbage heapindistinguishable from crumblingcement walls.

Every sense of my body recoilsin shock at these differences. But Iam pulled in. Everything pulses withan aliveness of color, of sound, andof emotion. It is impossible to tearmyself away.

“No mother, no father, no chap-atti,” a little girl whispers hoarsely.The orange-brown shade of her hairis the same color as the fine siennadirt that covers our hands, our faces,and the plants that seem to neverhave been green. “No mother, nofather, no chapatti,” she chants again,in a monotone repetition. She tugs

on my pant leg. “No mother, nofather, no chapatti.” What can I giveher? What do I have to give? Shepoints at my ring, the one remainderI have left of my grandmother. Iswallow and shake my head, “no.”“No mother, no father, no chapatti.”She must say this one thousand timeseach day.

I untie a cloth bracelet withbrown beads from around my wristand hand it to her. She loops itaround her own tiny wrist and thenpulls on my pant leg again, searchingfor more.

She is not the only one whoapproaches us. Each child asks for adifferent thing: some for rupees,some for clothing, or jewelry, somefor food, and some for soap. Twoboys play musical instruments at us,while others throw rocks and yell in alanguage we aren’t able to under-stand. Others simply stare becauseof our whiteness, a thing I ambecoming more aware of and some-times embarrassed by, because itmakes us different

Yet, despite it all, I feel a sort ofattachment to this place, this countryof immense mountains and hospitali-ty, of genuine happiness and of con-tradictions.

Continued on page 3

Deerfield is notorious for hurlingtasks at you that appear impossible.However, Deerfield is also famous fortraining its students well enough(through seemingly throwing us in thedeep-end) that by the time four yearsis up, the finished product is self-disci-plined and not too daunted by theprospect of a 12-page paper onModernism.

This sense of rigorous academicdiscipline as well as a willingness toaccept exceptionally hard tasks hasproven not only useful, but necessary,as I press on through my gap year.Now four months in, I am working asa general assistant at Timbertop, theninth-grade campus of Australia’sGeelong Grammar School. Situated inthe Victorian Highlands, Timbertop isthe famous Outward-Bound basedschool that “toughened” GreatBritain’s Prince Charles.

Timbertop students, and allTimbertop staff, for that matter, seemto do two main things: run and hike.And when I say run, I mean we all runa marathon and when I say hike, Imean we all hike nearly every week forat least three days, covering aroundtwenty miles per day. I don’t care howmuch mental fitness one may haveacquired through Deerfield’s trials; it isstill going to require a good bit oftraining to get yourself around a 26-mile course.

Now, not having been any sort ofcross-country star during my years inthe Pocumtuck Valley, I find thiswhole intensive-physical-fitness/run-ning-up-mountains thing was rathernew to me. However, the concept ofhaving a daunting task put in front ofme (in this case, the marathon), that Ineither wanted to do nor thought Icould do, was no stranger. And everyday, half a planet away, though I amdoing hill-training for two hoursinstead of pounding out a paper onPlato, I use the same basic skill-set thatDeerfield drilled into me—hard work

even when it hurts, persistence, and anopen mind.

Mental stamina, whether it getsyou up the highest mountain in thecountry with a 50lb. pack on your backor through that infamous Dante proj-ect, is an invaluable ideal of Deerfield.True, Timbertop is pounding a wholenew level of physical endurance into

me, but as any athlete will tell you,running and hiking are psychologicalsports, and I seriously doubt that Iwould have adequate mental strengthfor this semi-boot camp, if it weren’tfor Deerfield.

Anne Jamison ’09 was the front pageeditor of the Deerfield Scroll. She is cur-rently on a gap year in Australia.

H1N1 interrupted this stage romance between Ryan Erf ’10 and Emily Blau’10. The fall term comedy, What I Did Last Summer by A. R. Gurney waspostponed to after Thanksgiving Break. The play centers around a familyin World War II as they spend a summer at their second home in Canada. Itwill be great entertainment for an audience of all ages.

Choate Rosemary Hall hostedthe 2010 Northeast Kick-OffConference for the Green CupChallenge on November 8, 2009.As a member of the Green SchoolsAlliance, Choate has put greateffort into keeping their school sus-tainable and environmentally aware.

Choate’s environmental proj-ects are guided by the school’sSustainability Committee, whichconsists of students, faculty, thedean of residential life, the head ofdining services, the head of envi-ronmental services, and the chieffinancial officer.

In recent years, the committee

has implemented a conservationproctor program, a student-runenvironmental task force.

Along with the annual GreenCup Challenge, Choate also holdsthe Hydro Cup, a three-week inter-dormitory competition to conservewater. The school no longer pur-chases bottled water; so insteadevery new member of the schoolreceives a reusable plastic waterbottle.

Katrina Homan, co-chair ofthe Sustainability Committee said,“Our goal is to educate the stu-dents. We want to remain flexiblewhen it comes to making environ-mental decisions, so as newresearch comes out we can adaptour projects.”

Trustees Approve Greer Store and

Fitness Center Renovations

I had been ready and eager for aforeign trip forever. Arriving in Delhiand seeing the hazy Indian sunset forthe first time—well, I’d only imag-ined such an intense spectacle.Driving through the streets of Jaipurwas terrifying, but I got used to thecountless near-accidents, as well asthe cows, camels, pigs, horns, rick-shaws, bikes, and monkeys. Walkingthe bazaar of Pushkar is how I want

to shop: no more malls, and certainlyno more Pottery Barn.

I went to a school for the confer-ence. The school was startling andstriking; it was called “the Eaton ofthe East.”

There were fervent speakers andvaluable discussion groups. I madefriends from everywhere: Thabangfrom Johannesburg, Sunny ofCopenhagen, and Asraful, a Bengali.But everyone was much more thanwhere they were from.

Continued on page 3

Return from India: Delegates Reflect on Recent Round Square Conference

Jenn Coulombe

By KAYLA CORCORANStaff Writer and Book Reviewer

By MILES GRIFFISStaff Writer

A taste of Indian culture: the delegates explored a market in Jaipur

By LUCY COBBS

Editor-in-Chief

By YU JIN NAM

Editorial Associate

Kayla Corcoran

Are Schools Greener on the Other Side?Choate Rosemary Hall

Post fromPrinceton:Jason Jung

Page 2

“Szia”

from

Gabor

Page 2

Choate DayMailPage 4

By ANNE JAMISON

Contributing Writer

Tests of Mind

and Body

VOL. LXXXIV, NO. 6 November 11 , 2009

Editor-in-Chief

LUCY COBBS

Front PageCAMILLE COPPOLA

Opinion/EditorialJOHANNA FLATO

Arts & EntertainmentTAO TAO HOLMES

FeaturesAMANDA MINOFF

SportsCYRUS WITTIG

Online EditorCAMILLE VILLA

Layout EditorELLEN SHIN

Assistant Layout EditorSARAH KIM

Photo EditorSTEPHANIE OLIVAS

Photo AssociateELEANOR PARKER

Online AssociateJAKE BARNWELL

Editorial AssociatesEMMETT KNOWLTON

YU-JIN NAM

GRACE MURPHY

ELISABETH STRAYER

AdvisorsSUZANNE HANNAY & JOHN PALMER

STAFF REPORTERS: Nastassia Adkins, Mary Banalagay, Audrey Cho, Jacqueline Colt, Daryl Cooley, KaylaCorcoran, Danielle Dalton, Ashik Desai, Malou Flato, Albert Ford, Anna Gonzales, Miles Griffis, SonjaHolmberg, Shaye Horn, Ritchey Howe, Jade Kasoff, Charles Kim, Francis Lauw, Eunice Lee, Theo Lipsky,Daniel Litke, Matt McKelvey, Hadley Newton, Sarah Oh, Eliot Taft, Julia Trehu, Libby Whitton,Christopher Wong, Michael Yang

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Arleen Chien, Jennifer Coulombe, Susanna Kvam

The Deerfield Scroll, established in 1925, is the official student newspaper of Deerfield Academy. The Scrollencourages informed discussion of pertinent issues that concern the Academy and the world. Signed let-ters to the editor that express legitimate opinions are welcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. TheScroll, published nine times yearly, is entered as third class bulk rate at the U.S. Post Office at Deerfield,Mass. 01342. Advertising rates provided upon request.

Opinion articles with contributors’ names attached solely represent the views of the respective writers.Opinion articles without names represent consensus views of the editorial staff unless otherwise specified.

2 The Deerfield Scroll OPINION / EDITORIAL November 11, 2009

HERE. . .

West to East

San Francisco is a city full oflights, sounds, and smells. It hasdistricts that range from the

sprawling business district to theworld-famous Haight-Ashbury. It hasdelicious Mexican restaurants thatneighbor what some consider to bethe best Italian restaurants outside ofItaly. On top of all this, San Franciscois a city that is alive all through the dayand night because of the clubs, par-ties, and people up late for work.

Growing up in San Francisco is aunique experience that I have enjoyed.To me, San Francisco is more than acity—it has helped shape the person Iam today. I have spent my life exposedto the diverse people that inhabit SanFrancisco and its streets. I now findmyself a liberal person who agreeswith gay marriage, is pro-choice, andis a Democrat.

Beyond influencing my politicalviews, San Francisco is an internation-

al city that has introduced me to cul-tures from all over the world. I can goto Chinatown and be surrounded bythe unique smells and foods, thenwalk two blocks to Korea Town or theRussian district and be engulfed by awhole new culture with its own uniquesmells, foods, and beliefs.

Coming to Deerfield has been anincredible change from my childhoodin San Francisco. I have gone from asprawling city to a school within asmall village. More than this, though,nature now surrounds me rather thanthe buildings and cars I am used to.

I have had to adapt to being awayfrom all the sound that comes withliving in a city, and now, rather thanbeing overwhelmed by sound, I some-times find myself overwhelmed by thelack of sound. While not all thechanges that come with moving froma large city to a small town are bad, Istill come to find myself missing SanFrancisco, and its lights, sound, andsmells.

Sloan Damon ’13 hails from SanFrancisco, California. He lives on Scaife I.

By SLOAN DAMON

Contributing Writer

Whenever anybody asks meabout my personal back-ground, “first” impressions,

or daily life at Deerfield Academy, Iusually answer with two simple words:magnificent and complicated.

It is magnificent because every-thing is simply perfect here. The ruralbeauty, the clean air, and morningbirdcalls remind me of the little vil-lage where I grew up. Socially, I appre-ciate the friendly, intellectual, andartsy community. Unlike those at myprevious high school, students, facultyand physical plant employees areopen-minded, inquisitive, and ambi-tious. The surrounding warmth andcompletely different education meth-ods encourage me.

Comparing the school systemhere to the “core” Eastern-Europeancurricula, I recognize major differ-ences. Back in Hungary, we take 12 to15 subjects per year; we can’t chooseour classes, and lessons are notfocused on personal opinion. Theseeducational characteristics are typicalof most young, post-communistdemocracies. These democraciesinvoluntarily oppress underprivilegedminorities such as the Romany, thelargest in Europe, to which I belong.

Around twelve million Romanylive in Europe, including the 1.5 mil-lion who reside in Hungary. In thepast, less than seventeen percent ofthem finish elementary school, aroundsix percent complete high school and

far less than one percent enter univer-sity. And yet, education still plays animportant role in our lives.

Four years ago, I stood up for thecause and wrote proposals to theHungarian government, planned inte-gration projects, and pushed myself inorder to acquire a good educationunder the strong belief that one dayeverything would be better. In 2008,after a Harvard interview, I recognizedthat I should spend an extra year at aboarding school before attending col-lege. Deerfield Academy offered thewonderful opportunity for a transitionyear in order to acclimate myself tothe US education system, meet uniquepeople, and further pursue dreams.

Now that I am here, it’s not easyat all. Every day I study fervently,manage two small companies, dealwith national development projects,struggle with personal health issues,and worry about my father’s physicalcondition. In this multiple-identitygame called life, sometimes I can’tdecide whether I am the luckiest orthe most miserable person.

But one thing is sure—I am notalone in this game anymore. Every daythere is a student, a faculty member,or a physical plant worker whoencourages me to push further,exceed my limits and make my dreamscome true. I try to be worthy of bothmy heritage and my future objectives.

Thank you very much, DeerfieldAcademy. Thank You All.

Gabor Gurbacs ’10 is a post-graduatefrom Hungary. He recently gave a presenta-tion to the Economics Department atHarvard University.

Toto, I Don’t Think We’re inEastern Europe Anymore

Oddly Enough, I

Feel Right At Home

Before coming to Deerfield, Ihad been to eight differentschools in five different coun-

tries. My parents are U.S. diplomatsand we move every few years, buteven so, if you were to ask my fourth-grade self where I would be graduat-ing from, she would never have saidboarding school. I’m not a legacy atall. When I decided that I wanted togo here, my parents were shocked.

Until I applied to DA, my idea ofboarding school was a cross betweenHogwarts and the school in The DeadPoets’ Society. I didn’t know what toexpect. Would the school be someclique-obsessed version of highschool hell? Would it be like college?Would it just be endless schoolwork? Ididn’t even get a chance to go to sec-

ond visit day, because I had schoolback in Kyiv.

The people here are a lot moredown-to-earth than I thought theywould be. The campus is great, suchan upgrade from some of my otherschools. The classes are interesting,the teachers are really involved, butwhat I like about Deerfield isn’t howspecial it is, but how normal it is. I wassort of afraid that if I came here, Iwould lose my youth and get caughtup in some insane, über-competitiveprep-school world. But it’s not likethat at all. I don’t feel like I’m missingout on anything just because I go to areally selective school. Oddly enough,I feel right at home.

Caitlin Cleary ’12 has lived inLondon, England; Warsaw, Poland;Washington, DC; Madrid, Spain; Moscow,Russia; and Kyiv, Ukraine. Presently, how-ever, she lives in Pocumtuck Dormitory.

By CAITLIN CLEARY

Contributing Writer

By GABOR GURBACS

Contributing Writer

About this Special Issue:

As co-chairs of theEnvironmental Stewardship AdvisoryCommittee, Jeff Galli and I areresponding to the editorial in theOctober 21, 2009, issue of the Scrollentitled “Why Aren’t We TrulyBleeding Green?”

Ironically, this editorial was print-ed in the same issue that the articleentitled “New EnvironmentalProjects: Lighting and Ice-making”appeared, highlighting Physical Plant’ssummer projects that are anticipatedto reduce electricity consumption by4%. Physical Plant remains committedto addressing similar projects in thenear future, as time and resourcesallow, to continue to improve efficien-cy and curb our energy usage wherepossible, as set out in the ImagineDeerfield Facilities.

While we are thrilled with the stu-dent initiatives to increase environ-mental awareness, and hope that thisenthusiasm will continue to grow, it isimportant for us to point out someinaccuracies presented in the editorialin terms of lack of administrative andtrustee support.

The Environmental StewardshipAdvisory Committee, which is notstudent-led, is an advisory committeecreated as an outgrowth of ImagineDeerfield by the administration. Theadministration also included environ-mental stewardship as one of the fivepillars of the Imagine DeerfieldCampaign. The EnvironmentalProctor program was initiated byKristan Bakker, Environmental andSustainability Coordinator. Sundaynight clean ups in dorms was institut-ed by the Dean of Students’ officethis summer in an attempt, in part, toput increased focus on recycling.

Student participation and enthu-siasm in these initiatives, including thestudent-run Environmental Club, areessential to Deerfield’s continuingprogress in embracing change tobecome a greener school. Little by lit-tle we are making headway, perhapsnot as rapidly as some would like tosee, but change is difficult for mostpeople, adults and students alike.Becoming a greener school will takethe courage and cooperation of stu-dents, faculty and administrators.

We on ESAC are committed tocontinuing to initiate new habits, andwe believe we will have the backing ofthe administration as we forge aheadtowards positive, green lifestylechanges as a whole community.

Lydia Hemphill and Jeff Galli

Letter to

the Editor

Ellie Parker

In the so-called ‘Deerfield bub-ble,’ it is hard to remember what lifewas like before we arrived or imag-ine what it will be like after we leave.We become so engrossed in ouracademics and extra-curricularactivities that we often forget aboutthe world beyond.

This ‘Here and There’ issueattempts to share with us the expe-riences of newcomers, the adven-tures of recent graduates and thetravels of community servants.

By offering stories from vari-ous perspectives, The Scroll hopes toprovide a more global outlook.

Border drawings

by editors Tao

Tao Holmes ’10,

Hannah Flato

’10, and editorial

associate Grace

Murphy ’11.

The Deerfield Scroll OPINION / EDITORIAL November 11, 2009 3

. . .AND THERE

Down Some Confidence,

But Not Really Worried

In the five months sinceCommencement, I’ve had toreconsider the niche I found at

Deerfield as editor of The DeerfieldScroll, captain of the math team, co-captain of the cross-country team,and successful student.

When I arrived at Princeton inSeptember, I signed up to write for thestudent newspaper, The DailyPrincetonian. My first two articles wereexciting and went off without a hitch.I even profiled a former White HouseChief of Staff. However, my next arti-cle, which featured the well-knownphilosopher Peter Singer, dealt withdeath threats he received ten years

ago. Death threats are apparentlythorny topics, which I discoveredcould lead to libelous interpretationsof my article.

I have already encountered a fewsimilar surprises here, all showing methat college is really more high-stakes,larger-scale than high school. My mathclass seems to be filled with peers whohave had more success in math com-petitions than I, which is new to me.Finding time to run here is even hard-er than at Deerfield. Also, in most ofmy classes, my grades are almostentirely based on my midterms andfinals, contributing to a constantuncertainty about my academic per-formance.

Adjusting to a different systemand trying to overcome new chal-lenges has truly tested my faith in myabilities for the first time since I estab-lished my identity at Deerfield.

Especially in my junior and senioryears of high school, I felt a certainconfidence I took for granted.

However, as surprisingly tough asI find it to establish how I stand outfrom the rest of the Princeton com-munity, I truly don’t want to be any-where else.

The growth and success I foundat Deerfield did not come immediate-ly or easily, and knowing that isenough to inspire me to keep pushinguntil I find my place. I am prepared toembrace the failures that may comebecause I know sometime in the nextyear or two, I will find my niche, and Iwill again take my self-confidence forgranted.

Jason Jung ’09 was the editor-in-chief ofThe Deerfield Scroll. He was the 2009recipient of the Crow Cup. Jung now attendsPrinceton University in New Jersey.

By JASON JUNG

Contributing Writer

Though the view of Central Parkfrom my twenty-third floordorm room reminds me that

fields do exist in Manhattan, I don’tthink there are any deer in the city toroam wild on them. And amidst themany contrasts I’m finding betweenDeerfield and college, that basic dif-ference in ecosystem seems the mosttelling.

Beyond the clear contrast ofNew York City’s concrete grid toDeerfield’s green quads, the unfa-miliar landscape of school itselfmakes life new. Instead of six academ-ic classes, I now have one that meetsnot four times but twice a week.Instead of a class day followed by co-curriculars, my schedule involves vari-ous dance classes and rehearsals from10:00 am to 9:00 pm. Instead of class-mates passionate and educated eachabout many different disciplines, my

class consists entirely of students aim-ing solely and soulfully for a career indance.

I’d long anticipated the shock thatsuch thorough reformatting of mylife’s environment might have had onmy freshman year, but really what I’verealized is how ready I was and am tomigrate into college ecology. Deerfieldprepares us well for changes inscenery, for I think the learning in liv-ing that all our Deerfield teachersvalue lasts through shifts in space. Imay be studying new subjects in newclassrooms, but I can still rely energet-ically on the way Deerfield taught mehow to learn. I miss Deerfield, and allof you, but I’m glad to stay in touch(thank you, Scroll!), and I surely feelDeerfield present in my dancing everyday.

Ingrid Kapetyn ’09 participated inDeerfield’s dance program and was a literaryeditor of Albany Road. She now attendsJulliard in New York City.

Deerless Pastures

A Dramatic Crescendo

Purple haze floated above thePines on Messalonskee Lake ascrew practice came to an end.

The sun was just beginning to peepthrough October clouds as we pad-dled to Colby’s dock, and I began toreflect on the parallels between mytime at Deerfield and the beginningsof my experience here at Colby.

In many ways Colby seems to bethe natural outgrowth of a prepschool like Deerfield. Classes are small(and intense), you recognize people asyou walk through the student union,and my IBM laptop still crashes. So ina sense Colby is a larger, colder, moreindependent version of Deerfield.(Consequently there are more kids inmy class from DA than from anyother school!)

I think Deerfield prepared memost to hit the ground running. As a

new sophomore a few years ago, Ispent the entire year trying to find myniche, and it took me till senior yearbefore I felt comfortable in it.Deerfield prepares you to be able tojuggle a bunch of different things, andcollege is definitely the place to usethat skill. Thanks to Deerfield, Ihaven’t really been starting fromscratch, so it’s been an easy transition.But there were some surprises after Ileft Deerfield.

When you graduate you feel likeyou have reached fruition. Everythingcomes together in a dramatic crescen-do, heightened for me by NewEngland’s and my birthday; you feelcomplete. As though I were suffering

separation anxiety, when I was inAlaska for a month over the summer,I found it difficult to talk about any-thing but Deerfield. What I realizedbuilding trails in the tundra was that Istill had a lot to learn. It took being ina different environment for that tosink in.

As an Army brat I have lived inseven different places. With suchshort spans spent at each, it has beendifficult for me to establish roots any-where. I know the word “communi-ty” gets thrown around a lot, butDeerfield was like a family to me, andthat enabled me to establish hardyroots in the fertile valley. I considerDeerfield my home more than anyother place, and while I’m excited andhappy in Maine, I do miss it. I lookforward to coming back and can’t waitto see a burning “C” again!

Pat Adams ’09 was captain of theDeerfield boys’ varsity cross country, skiing,and crew teams. Adams now attends ColbyCollege in Maine.

By PAT ADAMS

Contributing Editor

By INGRID KAPETYN

Contributing Writer

Dominican Dreams

Idream of returning to the villageof Las Charcas in the DominicanRepublic in ten years to see a clus-

ter of ten families living in ten homesbuilt by members of the Deerfieldcommunity during ten successivespring breaks.

Passing through the solid door-ways of the cinderblock houses, I turnon the lights to illuminate the namesof Deerfield builders from the classesof 2009-2012 on the beam above theliving room and kitchen.

Young Dominican adults whowere the children struggling under theweight of buckets of mezcla during ourfirst build have now graduated fromhigh school. Those who were youngadults in March of 2009 are movinginto leadership roles in the communi-ty, inspired by the power of the com-munity action that they have observedand been involved in for the last ten

years. The community leaders in 2009are moving into the role of village eld-ers, proud of the improvements theyhave seen in their community over thepast decade, including a thriving pre-school program and a busy healthclinic.

Jose Abreu, the founder ofCambiando Vidas, is ageless, still start-ing water fights or leaping off theback of the moving team pick-uptruck to tease, cajole, or pay hisrespects to various members of thecommunity. He sprints back to thetruck, leaping, spinning mid-air andlanding backwards on his seat at theback of the truck.

Tired, hot, dirty and extremelyproud, the Deerfield builders take onelast long look at their newly-mintedhouse as the truck rumbles back toSan Juan.

Sheryl Cabral is head of the MathDepartment and has participated in threeCambiando Vidas projects.

By SHERYL CABRAL

Contributing Editor

By the time I leave, I have beengone for ten days, and I am beginningto miss the small characteristics ofhome: the temperatures more forgiv-ing than the brutal Indian heat, thepostcards on my walls, fresh fruit thatcan be consumed without fear ofbecoming ill.

And then I think about all of thethings I am leaving behind: leisurelytea breaks that offer time for quietreflection or socializing, the vast num-ber of people I have met who haveexpanded my perceptions immensely,the greater sense of self I discoveredthrough the nonexistence of internetand cell phones.

Perhaps, most importantly, I real-ize that my going back to Deerfieldmay remove me from the situations in

which I found myself while in India,but it changes nothing for the nine-year-old girl who tugged on my pantleg to beg for chapatti.

I cannot reconcile this in mymind. I try, at least, to contemplate it,but my mind is already overwhelmedwith emotion. What else can I do?What more can I give?

Leaving Deerfield for this briefmoment was the best decision I’veever made. I find now that I have thestrength and capacity to ask myselfquestions that I’ve needed to askmyself for a long time. And perhapsI’m no further along at finding theanswers to those questions, but I cer-tainly have a new perspective throughwhich to try.

Ingrid Kapetyn now dances in New York City, quite a departure from the stage of the Large Auditorium.

Outside of the school was theReal India, where there were fam-ished, impoverished people. A lot ofthem. My whiteness was no disguise.When we were in the cities walking thestreets, I couldn’t help but feel spoiled;it was a disgusting feeling to know thatI had much more than I would everneed. I wanted to take off all I hadand give it to those who needed itmore, especially the woman I wit-nessed crawling with sandals on herhands. She was rather frail, slowlypushing a bowl in front of her. Hereyes were haunting.

It is strange to walk on such acalm and tame campus again. Indiawas wild and thrilling. Adjusting to aset time schedule has been the hardest.

I loved not worrying about time as weexplored and ventured about.

I now appreciate my educationeven more, particularly after meetingstreet children who want nothingmore than to go to school.

It made me question what I wasreally doing at my school. There mustbe more I can do for the people of theworld than to study at a fancy prepschool. And that is honestly what Iwant to do in life: help.

I experienced more in India thanI did during my three-and-a-halfterms here. I might even have a betteridea of what I want to do with myfuture. But for now, I miss everythingin India. Jai Ho.

Kayla Corcoran’s India Reflection (continued from the front page)

Miles Griffis’ India Reflection (continued from the front page)

“I considerDeerfield my home

more than anyother place.”

4 The Deerfield Scroll SPORTS November 11, 2009

Leaders Hungry forSuccess, Field

Hockey Seniors Pull Off Impressive Wins

Girls’ varsity field hockey hasalways been a force to be reckonedwith. Since Deerfield returned tocoeducation in 1989, the team hasqualified for the post season everyyear but one. They have amassed sixWestern New England Titles, and theytook home the New England champi-onship trophy in 1992.

Much of this success can be cred-ited to the leadership of Coach KimWright, who has been coaching thegirls since 1993. Before coming toDeerfield, Dr. Wright held an assistantcoaching position at GeorgetownUniversity and played Division I fieldhockey at UMass Amherst for fouryears. In addition to this impressiveresumé, her teaching in the Englishdepartment has made a name for her-self both on and off the field.

Assisting Dr. Wright on the fieldare Coaches Katie Calhoun andKristin Veiga. Mrs. Calhoun is in themidst of her third season with theteam. Before coming to Deerfield,Mrs. Calhoun and her husbandworked at the Hotchkiss School.Aside from her coaching role, she alsoteaches math.

Ms. Veiga is fresh out ofBowdoin College, where she played

on the field hockey team for fouryears, captaining the team for both herjunior and senior year and leading theteam to two NCAA championships

Last year, the team continued itswinning tradition, making it to thepost-season New England tourna-ment once again with a record of 8-7-2, defeating strong teams such asLoomis Chaffee and GreenwichAcademy. Unfortunately, they werematched up in the first round to adominant Hotchkiss team that wenton to win the title.

This year, the team has come outhungry for success and has alreadypulled off impressive wins againstLoomis and Taft. Dr. Wright calledthe Loomis game the best of the sea-son so far.

“Loomis is not a slouchy team.We put it all together and dominated,”said Dr. Wright. The team currentlyholds a record of 7-4-1, and with onlythree games left in the regular season,they seem to be well on their way tocompeting in the post-season tourna-ment for the 19th time in twenty years

While the 2008-2009 team hadlittle senior leadership, that is not thecase with this year’s squad. Alex Philie’10, who captained the team her junioryear, and Sam Anderson ’10 have led adeep and talented class of players.

Other seniors this year includeClaudia Easton, Eloise McEniry,

Emmie Murphy, Lilly Nolan, CarolineSeabolt, Hally Sheldon, and JeannieWitmer.

With the loss of senior talent inmind, the addition of new talents likefreshmen Mettler Growney, LouisaHanson and Hannah Latham, andsophomores Lilli Gahagan and MaddyMelly, the team is looking to build ayoung core in preparation for thefuture.

“I think as long as the team workshard, they will come along... I think wecan be a contender every season,” saidDr. Wright

Next, the team is scheduled toface off with Greenwich Academy,whom they beat in a thrilling game lastyear. The girls will also play Willistonat home in their last game beforeChoate Day.

On November 14thChoaties Shall Vanquished Be

Choate Day is sure to be exciting,with nearly all our teams competing athome against the rival schoolNovember 14th.

According to Athletic DirectorCharles Davis, Choate is traditionallystronger in boys’ soccer while ourfield hockey team tends to dominate.However, with a 2-9-1 record forChoate’s boys’ varsity soccer, this yearmay prove different, as Deerfieldsports a 8-5-1 record.

In addition, Deerfield’s varsityfootball team sits more comfortably at2-4 compared with Choate’s 0-4-1record.

Choate’s varsity volleyball has hada strong start to their season, rackingup an impressive 11-0 record, but ourteam, at a strong 6-5, is sure to pro-vide tough competition.

In addition, Mr. Davis mentionedthat field hockey and boys’ crosscountry are among our strongestteams this year. While both boys’ andgirls’ cross country will be away atNMH during the competition, theywill still face Choate, as will water polowhich is scheduled to compete in theNew England Final Four at Exeter.

Varsity field hockey, which Mr.Davis notes is “tracking towards theplayoffs, depending on a few gamesbetween now and Choate Day,” hashad another strong season (7-4-1) andhopes for a win against its 4-6 Choatecounterparts.

At the sub-varsity level, jv fieldhockey has suffered only one loss totheir nine wins, rendering them anoth-er team to watch for.

However, Choate Day is anopportunity for every team to attempta win.

“Whatever kind of season a teamhas had, it can get thrown out the win-

dow on Choate Day,” asserted Mr.Davis, adding that “a bumpy seasoncan get washed away.”

He also stressed the importanceof not only playing for the team, butof supporting others.

In addition, stated Mr. Davis, “Itis an opportunity to see sub-varsitysports and to pool all teams, includingrecreational tennis and special exer-cise.”

Some such Deerfield sub-varsitysports to look out for are girls’ andboys’ jv soccer (7-1 and 8-2, respec-tively), boys’ junior A soccer (5-1-2),and jv football (6-2).

In addition to current studentsand faculty, Mr. Davis is excited to seelast year’s senior class, which he saidincluded some of his greatest stu-dents, show their support for ourteams. It is traditional for them toattend the pep rally and bonfire thenight before the big event, an excitingway to kick off the weekend.

“Here and There” with a Sports Twist

The Thursday before the NewEngland Championship Swim Meetlast March, I remember sitting in ahostel in northern Patagonia, check-ing nepssa.org. Disregarding the longline that was forming behind me touse the internet, I analyzed all of thepossible outcomes of the meet.

Two days later, I skyped my momfrom the same computer, and she toldme that the DA swim team had wonfor the second year in a row. As I satin that hostel with three of my bestfriends, there was no place I longed tobe more than the Koch pool, to con-gratulate the team and share the pridethat I felt.

At that time, I was traveling witha friend who had swum similar eventsagainst me at Choate during sopho-more, junior and senior year. When Igot off the phone to tell him about

our victory, he responded, “You guysdeserved that.” I think that’s some-thing that is unique about our rivalrywith Choate. No matter how intensethe competition was in the pool, wegot out and shook hands at the end ofevery water polo game or swim meet,proud of a win or intensely motivatedby a loss.

I joined the UVA club swimmingteam, but after two months here, I’veonly been to two practices. No doubtit’s partly because I’m lazy, but I thinkit’s more because I miss the loftyrafters of the Koch Pool, the sense ofpurpose I always felt on that deck, andthe camaraderie of our team.

Bo Swindell ’08 was captain of theboys’ water polo and boys’ swim team NewEngland’s. He is now a freshman atUniversity of Virginia after a gap year.

Though I haven’t always thoughtof myself first and foremost as anathlete, the teams I was on atDeerfield provided me with many ofmy most rewarding moments andclosest friends. Whether it was thirdssquash with Mr. Dickinson or varsitycrew with Oli, it was my teammateswho made me want to go to practiceeveryday.

There is nothing better than feel-ing that you all want the same thing,and on teams, unlike in classes or oncommittees, everyone’s performanceis crucial. That’s not to say that every-one has to be equally good. Believeme, I was never a huge point-scorerfor the swim team. But it’s abouteveryone wanting to win more thananything else and doing whatever isnecessary to make that happen.

As a D1 coxswain, I’ve beenissued new sneakers and practice uni-

forms and I will get to travel all overthe country for races. But as cool as allof that is, it is not the reason why Iwake up at 4:45 every weekday and5:45 on Saturdays. I keep getting outof bed because Deerfield taught mewhat it means to be on a team. It’sselfless dedication, but it’s also yourlove of the sport, the competition,and your teammates. It’s the unifieddesire to win.

So going into Choate Day, thinkabout why you’re out on that field. It’sabout playing for both your team andyour school and realizing that the onlything that matters while you’re outthere is to BEAT CHOATE.

Scottie Thompson ’09 was captain ofthe girls’ varsity crew team, a Proctor, andPresident of the Student Council. She isnow a freshman at University of Miamiwhere she is a D1 coxswain.

My colors are blue and white now,but I still bleed green.

I don’t play sports at Colby, yetnot a day goes by that I don’t miss myteams at Deerfield. It’s usually duringmy afternoon runs, when, naturally, Ithink of cross country and all the timeI spent on Mill Village Road and theHairpin and Moto-Cross and theRidge, laughing and talking and lettingoff steam with other girls on the team.

I remember how perfect fivemiles felt after an exhaustingDeerfield day—long enough to be anaccomplishment, short enough thatour energy wasn’t entirely depleted,and we could finish that final 400meters on the baseball field with astrong kick.

I think of the ski team on thosenights when my group of friends andI were last to eat in the dining hall. Iremember epic late dinners when

three tables pushed together werebarely enough space to fit all of thecold, tired skiers who weren’t quiteready to separate for the night. Andmaybe when Sugarloaf opens, PatAdams ’09, Phil Amato ’09 and I willtake a few runs together and remi-nisce.

Deerfield sports taught me a lotabout camaraderie and support; Ilearned how much closer a finish linecan seem when someone next to it iscalling your name. When I came toColby, I realized I could only bring somuch with me. Fortunately, myDeerfield athletic experience made thecut. It’s always a good day to win.

Ellicott Dandy ’09 was captain of thegirls’ varsity ski team and a member of thecross country team, a member of theDisciplinary Committee; she is now a fresh-man at Colby College in Maine.

Coach Silipo always says, “Thereis no better level of the game of foot-ball than the high school level.” Atthe high school level, it is simplyabout winning and losing, about thebrotherhood formed between team-mates, and about the life lessonslearned through the game.

I wish I could play for CoachSilipo and for Deerfield the rest of mylife. I am definitely excited to contin-ue my career at the college level, but Iam going to dearly miss the athleticshere at DA.

One of the things I love aboutthe athletics at Deerfield is our rivalrynot only against Choate, but againstevery team on our schedule. These

rivalries add a whole new level ofexcitement and passion to our gamesbecause of our storied history ofcompetition.

As a senior approaching my lastChoate Day and my last Deerfieldfootball game, I have to remindmyself to cherish every second I haveleft to play on Jim Smith Field with agreen “D” on the side of my helmet.

My goal the moment I walk offthe field on Choate Day is to have noregrets and to know absolutely that Ileft it all out there for my teammates,my coaches, and my school.

Conner Scott ’10 is the captain of the-varsity football and boys’ varsity basketball.

Scottie Thompson ’09

Ellicott Dandy ’09

Conner Scott ’10

By NASTASSIA ADKINS andDANIEL LITKE

Staff Writers

Bo Swindell ’08

By ELISABETH STRAYEREditorial Associate

Field hockey team co-captain Sam Anderson ’10 drives the ball toward the goal.

Thomas Earle

Jennifer Coulombe